


Life and Home

by Briseis_Lavellan



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Antonia Tethras, Babies!, Established Relationship, F/M, Modern AU, mentions of pregnancy loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 17:36:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9196367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briseis_Lavellan/pseuds/Briseis_Lavellan
Summary: Cassandra believes that there is nothing more beautiful than having people to come home to.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Songofpsalms297](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Songofpsalms297/gifts).



> My first modern AU. It is also a very late Christmas present to the awesome Songofpsalms297. Forgive me if it seems rushed, because it is. Classes began and I am already bombarded with homework assignments. I hope to have a break to finish the final chapter of “What are the Odds?” (Almost finished and it will give you diabetes, I promise you) Please enjoy.

It was a long flight after a long business trip away from home.  Cassandra was happy to be walking up the familiar driveway that led to the very familiar house.  The occupants must have heard the sound of her luggage bag’s wheels rolling against the pavement, because the door quickly opened and a reddish blonde blur came flying towards her.     
  
“Mama’s home!” said the little girl as Cassandra quickly scooped her into her arms and held her tightly.  Laying a kiss on top of her daughter’s head, she glanced up and noticed her husband leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed and lazy grin on his face.     
  
“I have missed you terribly, my darling.” she said as she focused her attention back on the girl.  The child was six years old and took after her father in many ways, but her features were very similar to her mother’s.  She clung tightly to her mother as if the woman would disappear otherwise.  Cassandra’s heart broke every time, knowing that her work often had such an impact on her family.     
  
“We missed you too.” Varric said as he walked up to his wife and daughter.  Cassandra smiled and leaned down to give her husband a brief but warm kiss on his lips.     
  
“Eww, gross!” said the little girl, who buried her head into her mother’s shoulder to hide from the sight of her parents kissing.     
  
“It’s not so bad, Antonia.  A fact that you won’t be discovering until you are in your 30’s.”  Varric said, his eyes still on his wife.     
  
Cassandra loved her job and the many opportunities she had to help her country as one of the top two presidential advisors.  She had a good rapport with President Dorothea, who was willing to heed the advice of her advisors and council members.  As a result, the country flourished under her leadership and Cassandra was happy to be one of the hands helping it along.  But the job also came with a steep price, which involved her missing time with her family.   Trying to balance her career with raising a child was not as easy as she had hoped it would be.  Varric was very understanding of the importance of her work, but that did not mean that it was not a source of contention between the two.  There had been many arguments, her on the unfairness of the bond he shared with their daughter and him on the fact that she had missed out on several important milestones (first word, first steps, first day of school, etc).  Despite the fighting and the hurtful words that get thrown about, they manage to work through it.  She even dared to say it made them stronger.  The mind-blowing reunion sex wasn’t so bad either.     
  
Varric took her luggage as they went inside the house and Cassandra paused in the doorway and taking in the familiar smells and surroundings.  She was extremely glad to be home, to be with her little family and not stuffy politicians.  She had missed the sweet laughter of her daughter, the warm embrace of her husband, and happiness that she could only feel when she was with them.     
  


They were now sitting on the plush red sofa, listening to Antonia regale her mother with tales of her little adventures at school with her friends, and the fun things she got to do with Auntie Hawke and Uncle Broody.  There were some misadventures with Auntie Rivaini, but Varric quickly headed off any outraged protests by explaining the full context of the situation.  The look she gave him was dubious, but she let it go… for now.  It wasn’t until after proudly showing off a beautifully carved halla that was made by Auntie Lavellan that the little girl started yawning.  It had gotten late and it was well past her bedtime.     
  
Varric allowed Cassandra the task of tucking their daughter in while watching both of them affectionately.  He would later tell her that he loved the domesticity she exuded while reading to the little being that they both created in love.  How having her home had completed them.  Seven years ago, if someone dared to suggest that she even seemed domestic, she would have protested.  Now she didn’t mind, not if it meant having people who loved her and waited for her.    
  


Once Antonia drifted off to dreamland (the ability to dream inherited from her human half), the couple quietly slipped to their bedroom where Varric could finally give his wife the welcome home he had been waiting to give her all day.  He was in the middle of kissing her senseless when the loud and obnoxious, to him anyway, sound of her ringtone interrupted them.  The dwarven author knew that he could just continue and she would eventually forget that she even owned a phone, but he saw the anxiousness in her eyes and knew that it was better to just let her answer it.  Of course it was work, and since the political climate has been rather stormy lately, Cassandra would want to answer in the case of bad news.  He situated himself on the side of their bed while Cassandra dug her phone out of the pocket of the pants that they discarded on the floor.    
  
“Leliana, what is it?” She demanded, sexual frustration making her tone sharp.  He could hear a faint voice coming from the phone though he couldn’t make out the words, but his wife’s eyes narrowed as she listened to whatever it was Leliana was saying to her.    
  
“I don’t think that’s… No, I just… What do you mean that’s an order?” the voice continued on and Cassandra sighed in resignation.  Varric could feel himself becoming angry.  Usually when she sighed liked that after speaking to Leliana or one of Dorothea’s many assistants, it meant she was packed up to leave the next day.     
  
“I guess I have no choice but to accept… Yes, thank you Leliana.  We will talk later.”  Cassandra ended the call and looked up to notice that Varric was not looking pleased.     
  
“I take it that you will have to pack soon.” It wasn’t a question.   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“You just got home.”    
  
“Leliana said that Dorothea ordered me…”   
  
“Haven’t you done enough for awhile?  Have you not sacrificed enough for them?”   
  
“Varric…” she began but he interrupted.   
  
“There has to come a time when you say enough, Cassandra.”    
  
Cassandra, not Seeker, her old title that became an endearment.  He was not happy.   
  
“Varric…”   
  
“No!  I know that you detest ultimatums but at some point you will have to choose between your family and your… “ He was interrupted as she pressed her lips against his mouth.  Her dwarven husband struggled against the wonderful sensation of having her mouth against his before he finally gave in, both of them opening their lips to allow their tongues to dance, re-stoking the fires that were doused so rudely moments ago.     
  
She finally ended the kiss, though reluctantly and looked him in the eyes.    
  
“Stop talking for a moment, dwarf, and I will tell you what she had said.”   
  
He was still recovering from the kiss, so all he could do was nod.     
  
“Leliana said that the president recognizes all of my hard work during this whole referendum business and felt that I could use a long well-deserved, break.”     
  
She kept her eyes on his face, trying to gauge his reaction, which took awhile but a smile creeped until he was grinning.    
  
“That’s great!  Did they say how long?” He set his hands around her waist, slowly running his fingers up and down her side.     
  
“For about two weeks before I have to fly out to Orlais to attend the conference, but that will only be for two days and I will return and can work here from Kirkwall for the foreseeable future.”   
  
“That is really something, why all of this though?  Surely there’s more to it than the recognition of your hard work.”   
  
“It probably has to do with the fact that excessive travel, especially by plane, would not be beneficial for my health in the next few months or so.”     
  
Varric looked at her, confusion and worry on his face.    
  
“Your health?  What’s wrong with your health?”   
  
She smiled and shook her head.    
  
“Nothing is wrong, my love, I’m only pregnant.”     
  
It seemed to take a moment before it sank in.  Shocked, he took her hand while staring at her abdomen dumbly.    
  
“Pregnant...are you sure?” He asked cautiously.  In the last four years, Cassandra had suffered the loss of two pregnancies.  She didn’t know she was even pregnant for either, but the loss was still felt keenly by the both of them.  They worried that they would never experience the joy of watching a child they made together with their love growing within his Seeker.  He was afraid to hope that it was even real.  It had been another source of contention between them about her work.  He blamed the stress caused by the toxic political climate at the time.  But they had long moved beyond that fight, mending their hearts over the losses.  

  
“Yes, my love.” She answered, understanding his wariness.    


“We are having another one?”    
  
“Yes, Varric, we are.”     
  
An ecstatic grin finally broke out on his face before laughing and grabbing his wife by the hands to do a quick happy spin around the room.    
  
“Another!” he whooped as he stopped.  He looked at her, happiness and maybe tears in his eyes.     
  
“How long?” his hand covered her abdomen, which had a barely detectable curve now that he knew to look for it.     
  
“I am about eleven weeks along, though I have only found out about three weeks ago.  I wanted to tell you immediately, but it did not seem right to relay such news over the phone.  I also wanted to make sure that… I kept this one.  The doctor says everything is going splendidly so far and that there is a bigger chance of me carrying to term since I am further along than with the last two.  It is why Dorothea and Leliana are ‘recognizing’ my hard work.  They are ecstatic for us.”     
  
“I owe them a huge apology for acting like an ass.” He said, reaching up to kiss his wife.  The kiss began as a sweet and loving kiss, but it would soon evolve to something more passionate.  Husband and wife celebrated with the most intimate dance that can only be shared between lovers.  It was a celebration of life.  The life of their daughter, sleeping safely in her bed and the life that dwelled within Cassandra, waiting to make his or her appearance in the world.  Most of all, it was a celebration of home.    


End file.
